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The UX Level-Up: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Sophia V. Prater
Join Sophia V. Prater on a dive into the weeds on UX systems, information architecture, human psychology, and simplifying complexity.
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- May 28, 20261h 0m
094 - Dan Brown: Product IA (with AI) as the Ultimate Level Up
Dan Brown is the kind of person who will walk into your organization, look at your product, and immediately see the structural problems nobody else will name — because he's been doing exactly that for enterprise teams for over two decades. After 18 years co-founding 8Shapes, he now runs Curious Squid Design Lab, where he focuses on product information architecture and the deep craft work that most teams are too rushed to do.In this episode of The UX Level-Up Podcast, Sophia and Dan get into a tension that's been building for years — information architects and product designers are working in the same problem space and barely talking to each other, and AI is about to make that very, very expensive. They talk about what actually goes wrong on teams that skip the structural work, why the frenzy to use AI tools is adding pressure instead of removing it, and what Dan said at a recent workshop that made Sophia write it down on the spot.LINKS:Dan's newsletter, Spilling Ink: https://curioussquid.substack.com/The Unchecked Podcast: https://unchecked.buzzsprout.com/Connect with Dan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danmbrown/Find out more about Dan: https://www.curious-squid.comContinue the conversation in the OOUX Forum: https://forum.ooux.com/posts/dan-brown-product-ia-with-ai-as-the-ultimate-level-upConnect with Sophia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiav/Follow Sophia on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophiavux/Check out the OOUX Website: https://ooux.comFollow Sophia on Medium: https://sophiavux.medium.comInterested in training your team on OOUX? Book a call here: https://calendly.com/ooux/opportunityGet on the Cohort 12 waitlist: https://ooux.com/certification
- May 8, 202658 min
093 - The Key to Leveling Up for Content Designers with Angie King
Angie King went from contractor to VP of UX Design at US Bank in five years — not because she had all the answers, but because she was the person in the room asking the right questions. She's now the content strategy manager at Mayo Clinic, where she's putting the ORCA framework to work on one of the most complex content systems in healthcare.In this episode of The UX Level-Up Podcast, Sophia and Angie get into what it actually looks like when a veteran content strategist finds a framework that finally clicks — and why Angie believes it's not just career-changing, but field-changing. If you've ever felt like the smartest person in a conversation but struggled to explain why something was off, this episode is for you.Note: Angie King appeared on this episode in her individual professional capacity. Any views, stories, or experiences shared in this conversation are Angie’s own and should not be interpreted as official positions of Mayo Clinic.LINKS:Register for Angie’s Button Conference Talk: https://www.buttonevents.com/2026-sessions/object-oriented-ux-a-content-first-approach-to-meaningful-content-designConnect with Angie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angieking/Continue the conversation in the OOUX Forum:Connect with Sophia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiav/Follow Sophia on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophiavux/Check out the OOUX Website: https://ooux.comFollow Sophia on Medium: https://sophiavux.medium.comInterested in training your team on OOUX? Book a call here: https://calendly.com/ooux/opportunityGet on the Cohort 12 waitlist: https://ooux.com/certificationCheck out Zoe: https://ooux.com/zoe
- Apr 16, 202634 min
092 - The 6 Ingredients for Flow (and why your UX practice thwarts them all)
Sophia Prater is the founder of OOUX and the creator of the ORCA process, a practical system for untangling complexity and designing more intuitive digital products. In this episode of the podcast, Sophia shares what she’s learning from Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s book Flow, why so many status quo UX practices actually keep designers stuck between boredom and overwhelm, and how ORCA helps create the conditions for deeper focus, clearer thinking, and more intrinsically rewarding work. She also explores the six ingredients of flow state, why UX often thwarts them, and how AI can either support or sabotage the kind of meaningful problem-solving designers are really hungry for.LINKS:Get access to the Free Training here Join the OOUX Forum Connect with ME on LinkedIn Message me on Instagram and tell me what you think Continue the Conversation in the Forum
- Apr 2, 20261h 2m
091 - AI Can Design Screens. But Can It Design a System? With Jon Alderink
Jon Alderink is a UX consultant with experience in Industrial IoT, where he’s worked on complex machine software systems, and he previously worked at Twist Think. He has also worked as a color artist for Marvel and DC, and recently created his own website, Norn Forge, where he’s been experimenting with OOUX, AI workflows, and connected tools. In this episode of the podcast, Sophia and Jon talk about why AI can generate screens but still struggles to design the system underneath, how OOUX helped Jon’s team move faster and make better product decisions, and how designers can use tools like Notion, Claude, and schema markup without offloading the critical thinking that makes their work valuable. LINKS:Be one of our Scholars! Connect with Jon on LinkedIn Check out Jon’s Website - Norn Forge Continue the conversation in the OOUX Forum
- Mar 20, 20261h 1m
090 - ADHD and Autism in UX How OOUX Supports Neurodivergent Designers with Meghan Logan
Meghan Logan is a Lead Product Designer at Stripe, and her work sits at the intersection of systems thinking, systems architecture, product strategy, and neurodiverse thinking. She also speaks at conferences about how design frameworks can better support neurodivergent brains and create safer, more effective ways of working. In this episode of the podcast, Sophia and Meghan talk about Meghan’s ADHD diagnosis and the masking that so many neurodivergent designers experience at work, why OOUX and ORCA can feel like such a safe and clarifying framework for ambiguous design problems, and how structured systems thinking can help designers communicate better, reduce bias, and create more inclusive products.LINKS: Register for The UX Level Up LiveConnect with Meghan on LinkedInCheck out Meghan’s Medium! Listen to Meghan’s TalkPodcast with Karen Hewell on applying OOUX to your own inner worldContinue the conversation in the forum!
- Mar 5, 202640 min
089 - What Game UX can Teach Us about Wrangling Complexity with Mandi Geiselman
Mandi Geiselman has worked as Senior UX Designer at Autodesk, where she designs for complex media & entertainment tools (like Maya and 3DS Max), and she is an Advanced OOUX Strategist who’s created resources on building an OOUX community of practice inside big organizations. In this episode of the podcast, Sophia and Mandi talk about OOUXing Horizon Forbidden West, why game UX isn’t about “making it easy,” and how bases, extensions, and conditional logic can make even the most complex systems more understandable (and more shareable for teams).LINKS: Join the OOUX Forum Connect with Mandi 💪 Get access to the free training and get 20 strategies to level up your UX practice! OOUX.com/levelup Continue the conversation in the forum
- Jan 23, 202615 min
088 - My Big Mistake of 2025 and the Lesson Learned
In this short solo episode, Sophia shares a big mistake she made in 2025 — one that directly contradicts a core OOUX principle she teaches. Using real examples from EdTech, Mighty Networks, and OOUX’s own course offerings, she breaks down the problem of overlapping objects and the three ways teams can handle them: combine, differentiate, or live with confusion. She also announces an important shift in how OOUX training will be structured moving forward — and why this change makes things clearer for everyone.LINKS:OOUX Forum (free to join) OOUX WebsiteOOUX NewsletterThe Self-Paced OOUX Masterclass 3.0Continue the Conversation at the OOUX Forum
- Jan 7, 202658 min
087 - Teaching OOUX Without Making People Feel Dumb: Elena’s No-BS OOUX Process with Elena Haskins
Elena Haskins is the founder of Anele UX Studio, where she helps B2B companies design clearer, more intuitive software across industries ranging from early-stage startups to enterprise giants like Prudential, Party City, and the NFL. She’s also an Advanced OOUX Certified practitioner—one of the earliest Cohorts to complete the training—and a sought-after workshop facilitator known for making complex OOUX concepts feel accessible, even fun.In this episode of the podcast, Sophia and Elena dig into how to teach OOUX without overwhelming people, why asking sharper questions can instantly elevate your UX practice, and how Elena bridges the gap between designers and developers using a stripped-down, practical ORCA workflow. They also explore client-friendly documentation, role-based prioritization, and Elena’s signature philosophy: people stick around when you make them feel smarter—not confused.Links:Connect with Elena on LinkedIn Check out Elena's WebsiteRead "A List Apart: Object-Oriented UX" ArticleExplore the Throughline Conference program (Jan 29–30) - throughlineconf.com - Use the discount code: OOUX50 (get $50 off)Continue the conversation on the OOUX Forum!
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